Category Archives: Business Announcements

The MWA National Board of Directors is pleased to announce that starting January 1, 2017 self-published authors can apply for Active Membership Status. You can qualify by fulfilling either of the following criteria:

You have been paid for your work by a print, e-book, print-on-demand, periodical or e-zine/webzine publisher that is on the MWA list of approved publishers and meets all of the criteria for inclusion.

or

You have been self-published and have earned a minimum of $5,000 in a single calendar year from approved mystery works* (novels, novellas, short stories), or suitable non-fiction titles, i.e., true crime; biographies of mystery authors; critical works about mysteries, their creators and characters; forensic works; or other nonfiction that is mystery or crime-related), either in print, electronically, or by way of an audio recording.

* A “mystery work” is defined as a story where a crime is the central element.

This earning requirement is a one-time event, meaning there is no need to generate a specified income each year to maintain one’s level of membership. The proof of earnings shall be either a US tax return (with all information not pertaining to publishing activity redacted) or an IRS Form 1099. These new criteria became effective January 1, 2017. However, MWA has agreed to accept proof of earnings for any calendar year beginning with 2014.

If your work is a contribution to a periodical, you must provide a hard copy. For an e-zine/webzine, you must provide a hard copy and proof of its online/electronic availability, even if the work is no longer available. A work must be available for a minimum of thirty days to be considered published.

Not eligible: Works offered through predatory i.e. subsidy publishing companies shall not qualify.

A predatory publisher is a company who assigns your book an ISBN number that subsequently belongs to them, i.e., they become the publisher of record that entitles them to receive an additional royalty whenever a book sells. They also set the book’s retail price.

Via Jeffery Deaver: I am delighted to announce that I will be serving as president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2017. MWA was formed in 1945 to promote that genre of books that we so love—murder mysteries—and to support new and established authors working in that field. It’s grown into one of the… Continue Reading

Mystery Writers of America is aware that Bouchercon 2014 has on its schedule an event called, “Men of Mystery.” While we support the participants and organizers of this event, MWA feels that hosting this at Bouchercon sends the wrong message to fans, reviewers, and authors that writers can, and should, be divided by gender. We… Continue Reading

MWA is constantly assessing the needs of our members, and what benefits we provide to them. As a part of our ongoing commitment to our members, we are transitioning to a new website. We will be focusing on improved online shopping for MWA purchases, an interactive front page with regular news announcements, and an increased educational… Continue Reading

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The Edgar® Awards

Each spring, MWA presents the Edgar® Awards, widely acknowledged to be the most prestigious awards in the genre. Learn more at TheEdgars.com.
The Edgar name and logo are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.